DS 485 
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Copy 1 




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Descriptive 
l^eading 




Illastitated 



12 Lkafttepn Slide;S 



WILLfAM H. RAU 

PHILADELPHIA 
1891 




A 



Descriptive Reading 



ON 



DARJEELING 



/ 



ILLUSTRATED BY TWELVE LANTERN 
SLIDES., 

/ . 



? t^- 



WILLIAM H. RAU 

PHILADELPHIA 

1891 

1 



Coi>yrtghi, iSgi, by William H. Ran. 






ILLUSTRATIONS. 



1. Darjeeling Railroad, Two-Foot Gauge. 

2. On the Railroad to Darjeeling. 

3. Darjeeling from Lloyd's Bank. 

4. Group of Himalayan Coolies. 

5. Nepalese Coolie Woman with Rain Umbrella. 

6. Fog Clearing Away from Darjeeling Bazaar. 

7. Milk Seller with Bamboo Milk Jars. 

8. Nepalese Mother with Infant in Basket. 

9. The Queen of Sikhim. 

10. A Thibetian Man. 

11. Largest Tea Plant at Darjeeling. 

12. Kunchinjinga, from Darjeeling. 



DARJEELING. 



** To him, who, in the love of Nature, holds com- 
munion with her visible forms, she speaks a various 
language." And, 

"If thou art worn and heart beset 
With sorrows, that thou would 'st forget, 
If thou would'st read a lesson, that will keep 
Thy heart from fainting, and thy soul from sleep. 
Go to the woods and hills ! No tears 
Dim the sweet look that Nature wears." 

Did the poet catch his inspiration, I wonder, from 
the grand Himalayas ! For in no region of the earth 
are Nature's grandeur and simplicity more harmon- 
iously blended and more strongly exemplified than in 
Northern India. 

1. Darjeeling- Railroad, Two-Foot Gauge. — 

What though traveling on the Narrow Gauge Rail- 
way to Darjeeling be at times monotonous, somewhat 
uncomfortable and largely dangerous ! Our jour- 
ney's end will well repay us for its annoyances. Let 
us make Calcutta our starting-point, and travel 
northward by the new railway. After running more 
than a hundred miles we come to the bank of the 
Ganges, where a steamboat in waiting conveys us 
over this broad stream. Upon the other side of 
the river we find a train with the usual sleep- 
ing carriage. Traversing a low, swampy plain for 
some distance we arrive at Silliguri, and from this 

(5) 



6 DARJEELING. 

point to Darjeeling we travel on the Narrow Gauge 
steam tramway, which has been completed within 
quite recent times. 

This railway is a two-feet gauge, climbing 8,000 feet 
right through the mountain, turning and twisting 
itself into marvelous complications; now rushing 
under bridges, now sweeping in a loop and dashing 
over them. 

Each separate carriage holds six persons in com- 
fortable arm-chairs. A formidable brake is provided 
or each car. The railway is certainly a wonderful 
construction. In many cases the line runs along the 
edge of such tremendous gorges and such deep pre- 
cipices that we are amazed at the triumph of engineer- 
ing skill which could overcome such apparently in- 
surmountable obstacles. At one point the line rises 
to a complete figure 8, at another a hill is climbed in 
a series of zigzags on which the engine is alternately 
placed at the front and rear of the train. 

2. On the R. 11. to I>arjeeliiig. — The view from 
our car windows gives us some idea of the dangers of 
the route. But, as if to make amends for our discom- 
fort, Nature offers us her choicest bits of scenery. 
The tall undergrowth through which our road at first 
lies, gives way to forest trees and the tea plantations. 
Higher up, the fields are adorned with flowers, yellow 
and purple, blue and lilac. Great clumps of bamboo 
lift their feathery tops to a surprising height, and 
blooming creepers let down their rope-lil^e tendrils 
from the over-hanging branches of the kingly forest 
trees. We stop at Teendaria and rest our engine for 
a brief space. Again we are on our journey. One 



DARJEELING. ^ 7 

moment the eye rests upon distant peaks or gigantic 
ravines; the next, on rounding a curve, a panorama of 
exquisite beauty opens like a dream. Below us are 
the wooded summits, lying terrace-like before us ; 
beyond them, stretches a boundless plain ribboned 
with a silvery stream. 

Here and there along the road we come upon familiar 
bullock-carts. The natives, leading their pigs, fur- 
nish us with diversion, for the struggles between the 
obstinate animal and the determined man are ludic- 
rous in the extreme. 

At Kurseong we take a stronger engine, as the 
ascent has become much steeper. Tree ferns and tow- 
ering oaks set in beds of wild flowers here border the 
pathway. Occasionally we see a gang of Coolies 
engaged in clearing away the debris resulting from a 
land-slide. And now, we are actually traveling in 
cloud-land. Trackless gorges and noisy torrents, 
spanned by substantial arched bridges, succeed each 
other at intervals. On our way we notice a number 
of rags, (several being sometimes attached to one pole,) 
flying from the shanties which rest on the hill-side. 
These dirty rags contain prayers inscribed by the 
Lamas, and are hung out by the ignorant and super- 
stitious villagers to paralyze the evil spirits floating in 
the air. We are now within the range of the snowy 
*'roof of the world," facing the august Kunchinjinga; 
and right ahead of us, though half hidden by the veil 
of clouds which covers it, lies Darjeeling. 

3. Darjeeling, from JLloyd's Bank. — The view ot 
Darjeeling from Lloyd's Bank, as we here see it, is 
that of a romantic, picturesque mountain-scene, where 



8 ^ DARJEELING. 

the houses, perched on the spur of a mountain or the 
side of a hill, look like fairy homes in an enchanted 
garden. Nature is so lavish of her beauties, that no 
architectural deformities can mar the fair aspect that 
she here wears. Great tea and cinchona plantations 
stretch as far as the eye can reach. These tea gar- 
dens are sometimes laid out in most unroman tic fash- 
ion, acre upon acre being planted with great rows of 
bushes two feet high. While in the centre stands the 
manager's bungalow, surrounded by low houses where 
the tea is prepared for shipment. But here the planta- 
tions are laid out in terrace fashion, one about two 
feet above the other, which decidedly adds to the 
beauty of the scene. The houses are few and far be- 
tween, and the high hills conceal many of them from 
our view. Yet, there is an air of life and industry 
which adds to the general scenic effect, and the pale 
holy features of the sweet Sisters of Charity that de- 
scend the pathway, seem in striking harmony with 
Nature's sublimity. 

4. Group ot Himalayan Coolies. — Life in the 
mountains has its attractions to the artistic mind, 
which there beholds the majesty of God reflected from 
the mountain-tops. But indeed we may question its 
attractions for the hill coolies or drudges whose heavy 
burdens seem still greater from the steep paths which 
they must travel. And yet, in seeing them at their 
work, they are apparently never more content than 
when bending forward, Atlas-like, under a great bur- 
den, held upon the back by a grass band passing 
across the forehead. 

The group of coolies before us are resting for a few 



DARJEELING. 9 

moments from their labors, and if we can forget their 
aching limbs and strained shoulders we may imagine 
from their positions that they are fairly comfortable. 
These coolies belong principally to the Bhootea tribe. 
They are a tall, robust, and sturdy people, with broad 
mouths' and flat noses. Their complexion is whitish 
yellow, but as they seldom wash, the skin is encrusted 
with dirt, tar, and smoke. They dress in loose blankets 
tied around the waist with a leather strap, in which 
they place their pipes, chop-sticks, tinder-box, tobacco- 
pouch, and long sharp knives. Their clothing is such 
as will admit of great freedom of motion. 

Although our representation shows us only the 
male coolies, it is of common occurrence to see female 
coolies dragging the heaviest burdens. In fact, on 
one occasion, one of these sturdy women actually 
carried a grand piano on her back from Kurseong to 
the station, a work that an English or American rail- 
way porter would not think of attempting. 

5. Nepalese Coolie Woman With Rain Umbrella. 

— The Nepalese are light and agile, with intelligent 
and pleasing countenances. They are active and en- 
during and extraordinarily brave. They are employed 
almost exclusively on the tea plantations, but the 
women are preferred to the men on account of their 
lighter and more delicate touch. 

This Nepalese coolie woman is a fine specimen of 
her class. Her upper garment is of a light color and 
is wound loosely about her body to insure easy move- 
ment, while a skirt of a bright calico extends down- 
ward to the ankles. Like most of her class, her neck 
is adorned with rows of beads, some of vegetable 



lO DARJEELING. 

ivory, others of amber. Besides being matters of 
adornment they are supposed to possess magical vir- 
tues, such as freedom from disease and evil spirits. 
What is most conspicuous about her is a formidable 
rain umbrella. It is constructed of canes of bamboo 
<:losely interwoven, and twisted to afford protection 
from the elements. It is oblong in shape, and of a 
very large size. Were it not that bamboo is very 
light, this rain umbrella would be a most cumbrous 
affair. As it is very flexible, it can readily be bent 
into that shape which affords greatest protection. 
One wonders whether it might not be just as well to 
dispense with a little protection over head, and extend 
the kindly care to the feet which, as is usual among 
these people, are uncovered. 

G. Fog- Clearing AAvay from Darjeeliug Bazaar 

— However, if the day is a misty one, many defects 
will be concealed ; but we would rather see the im- 
perfections than miss a sunshiny day on the heights. 
In the early morning a dense fog hovers over Kun- 
chinjinga and almost obscures Darjeeling, which lies 
within its shadow^ ; but the inist gradually disperses, 
and patches of vivid blue show themselves between 
the breaking clouds. The scene is one of unsurpassed 
grandeur. The semi-darkness that precedes it, only 
serves to heighten the effectof the pure sunlight when 
it actually makes its appearance. 

As the fog lifts, the white tops of the houses gradu- 
ally show themselves ; the verdure on the mountain- 
side puts on its bright green robe, the mountain- 
peaks, clothed in glittering snow, one after another, 
expose themselves to our view, and the whole scene is 



DARJEELING. II 

SO rarely transfigured that we feel as though we had 
found the ''peace thatpasseth understanding." 

As the mists pass away, we see before us a crowd of 
busy, struggling, human beings, each striving in com- 
petition with the other, each vending his wares with 
persistent clamor, each driving a sharp bargain with 
the unsuspecting tourist. Here in the Bazaar the 
bulk of the people are assembled. Grain, clothing, 
sweet-meats, household stores, and a variety of trifling 
articles too numerous to mention, lie in rows spread 
on mats upon the ground. The venders, both male 
and female, sit beside their wares, the man usually in 
front, while near by sits his wife surrounded oft-times 
by their growing family. 

7 Milk Seller with Bamboo Milk Jars. — Among 
all the vegetable productions of India, none are so 
highly esteemed by the natives as the bamboo. And 
their high respect for this growth is really warranted 
by its usefulness. Light, flexible, tough and durable, 
it is put to every conceivable purpose ; from the 
manufacture of so trifling a thing as a pipe to the 
building of boats and bridges. Our hero of the milk- 
pails is perfectly aware of the utility of this vegetable 
growth, for he carries his refreshing beverage about 
in jars made of bamboo. 

Being firmly twisted together, and all interstices 
carefully clothed by a gummy substance, the jar is 
absolutely water- proof, besides being lighter than one 
of tin. These are cylindrical in shape, being bound 
round in several places with broad hoops of bamboo. 
Ropes of twisted grass are attached to the sides ; and 
these cans may thus be carried on the arm much as 



12 DARJEELING. 

the American woman carries her over-laden market 
basket. The lightness of the jar may be readily con- 
ceived when we see our milkman carrying six of them 
with ease. 

8. Nepalese Mother with Infant in Basket. — We 

have here another interesting use of the bamboo, for 
see, in the basket so cleverly formed of its fibres, we 
see reposing a small child, who makes violent efforts 
to escape from its resting place. But this is impos- 
sible, for the baby is securely bound down by a broad, 
flat band, which extends from one side of the basket 
to another. A few coarse, soiled rags, are placed in 
the bottom of the basket, on which the child may 
rest. My sympathies go out to this poor mother, and 
to all other women of her class. Like most of her 
race she is tall and well formed. She has disfigured 
her face by a large nose-ring. Around her neck she 
wears a heavy string of beads, to which a large amu- 
let is attached. So fond is she of jewelry, that she 
even wears an anklet. Her regular occupation is the 
picking, sorting and packing of tea, for her more deli- 
cate touch renders her better able to do this work 
than the men. 

She is, no doubt, contented with her lot ! But oh, 
the misery of it as it appears to us. Life amid such 
surroundings is so narrow, so contracted ! It is one 
dull, weary round of labor, with probably famine at 
its close. For while the country abounds with grain, 
and fat, rich bullocks graze at will upon the pasture 
lands, the poor peasant labors and starves. While he 
has to maintain the glorious display of an imperial 
policy, while he has to support legions of scarlet 



DARJEELING. 13 

soldiers, purple politicals, and green commissions, he 
must remain the hunger-stricken, over-driven phan- 
tom that he is. Perhaps the half-despondent, half- 
frightened countenance of this poor woman tells just 
such a tale of work and privation, of endless toil and 
insufficient food, of haunting care that knows not 
what the morrow has in store, or whether the babe at 
her back will drain the bitter cup of famine to its 
deepest dregs. 

9. The Queen of Sikliim. — I doubt whether she 
would be the gainer if she could exchange with this 
care-worn royal personage, the Queen of Sikhim, 
one of the Himalayan districts. With all her jewels, 
her massive head gear, her beringed hands, and her 
soft flowing robes, with all the royal dignity of her 
rank and position, there is the same pathetic droop 
of the mouth, the same wistfulness in her eyes, a 
look born of Oriental despotism and the down-trod- 
den condition of all women in the East. One needs 
but to read Pundita Ramabais' work on the women 
in India, one needs but to know the history of her life 
to realize the apparent hopelessness of woman's strug- 
gle in Asiatic lands, and to realize yet more clearly 
how one woman's dauntless courage can overcome 
almost insurmountable obstacles. 

10. A Tliibetian Man. — Sikhim is populated large- 
ly by Thibetians, who have crossed the natural bound- 
aries between the two countries and have found their 
Sikhim surroundings more to their taste. Attempts 
have been made to prove a connection between these 
Thibetians and the aboriginal Indians, But the bod- 



14 ' DARJEELING. 

ily development is essentialy different. In the Thibe- 
tians, the skull is well developed. The forehead is 
low but broad. The bridge of the nose is very flat, 
and so much sunk that in profile it stands out very 
little, and sometimes does not show at all. The eyes 
are set obliquely. The hair is dark and bristly ; the 
chest is broad, the muscles are strong and well-devel- 
oped. The hands and feet are small, while to corres- 
pond, the stature is lower than that of the Europeans. 
They have one advantage over their Indian neighbors 
in that caste distinctions do not exist. 

They are generally straightforward and possessed 
of quick understanding, though their fear of the 
priests verges on superstition. The usual dress of the 
men consists of a loose cloak, and long white trou- 
sers. Socks, lined with leather, serve as boots. The 
head is covered with a cap which our hero is wearing 
in a somewhat rakish fashion. The dress is generally 
shabby, partly on account of the difficulties of moun- 
tain traveling, and partly on account of the enormous 
taxes paid to the priests. But the Thibetian here 
shown is clad in holiday attire and the kerchief around 
his throat, and the broad cuffs at his wrists are of spot- 
less white, which to my mind, only intensify the pecu- 
liar yellow countenance which characterizes the Mon- 
golian race. 

11. Larjjfest Tea ^laiit at Darjeeliiig. — There is 
quite a change from our spruce-looking Thibetian to 
the laborer on the tea-plantation, who in his loose 
trousers, and white upper garment is anything but 
distinguished-looking. Rut it is to him and others of 
his class that wc are indebted for the cup "that cheers 



DARJEELING. 1 5 

but not inebriates." The best tea is raised upon the 
hill-tops at about 7000 feet above sea level. It can be 
grown only under two conditions — those of moisture 
and heat. Hence, the southern slopes of the Hima- 
layas are admirably adapted for its cultivation, for 
during the middle of the day the sun is warm, and at 
night the dews are copious. There is nothing sur- 
prising, therefore, in the huge proportions of this 
plant which is the largest in Darjeeling, and notwith- 
standing which, is worked entirely by the natives, 
only one or two Europeans being employed as over- 
seers to superintend the work on the entire plantation. 
While the tea shrub usually grows to the height of 
five or six feet, this plant reaches to more than twice 
that height. The laborer, we here see, is picking the 
leaves which will afterward be carried to one of the 
houses, on the floor of which it will be placed to dry. 
After sorting and packing, it is ready for shipment, 
and the tea-drinking nations of the world will have 
cause to praise the largest tea plant of Darjeeling. 

12. Kuiicliiiijinga from Darjeeling*. — The luxuri- 
ant plantations which abound in and around Darjeel- 
ing may delight the soul of the epicure. The man of 
practical realities may rejoice in the prosperous 
appearance of the country, and the sure gains that 
will accrue to the owners, but the man, whoever he 
may be, who possesses the artist's soul, will find a 
grander sight, a more blessed meaning in gazing at 
the snowy heights of Kunchinjinga. Before Nature's 
majesty our hearts speak, but our lips are dumb. 
Words seem weak and useless in the description of 
so sublime a scene. The everlasting hills and the 



1 6 DARJEELING. 

restless sea ever present new phases and yet are ever 
changeless and abiding. How small and trifling are 
men and their greatest works when compared with 
these giant wonders, ever fresh from the hand of God. 
Snow-covered, ice-crowned, they glitter like precious 
gems in the sunlight. As far as the eye can reach, we 
see a wall of mountains, the lower ranges forest-clad; 
the higher gray old peaks their heads have bared "as 
if the winds were saying prayer." 

How can petty meanness and sordid care dwell side 
by side with Nature's most sublime creation? And 
yet the struggle for existence, the discordance of 
human voices, the hate in men's hearts dwell here in 
Darjeeling as in all parts of the world. 

Our stay in Darjeeling is at an end, but we may 
carry with us most charming memories of our trip. 
Like children at a feast we left the best thing for the 
last, so that we may longer enjoy and remember the 
choicest bits. And with a last fond look at the snowy 
"roof of the world" we bid Darjeeling a sad fare- 
well. 



l6 DARJEELING. 

restless sea ever present new phases and yet are ever 
changeless and abiding. How small and trifling are 
men and their greatest works when compared with 
these giant wonders, ever fresh from the hand of God. 
Snow-covered, ice-crowned, they glitter like precious 
gems in the sunlight. As far as the eye can reach, we 
see a wall of mountains, the lower ranges forest-clad; 
the higher gray old peaks their heads have bared "as 
if the winds were saying prayer." 

How can petty meanness and sordid care dwell side 
by side with Nature's most sublime creation? And 
yet the struggle for existence, the discordance of 
human voices, the hate in men's hearts dwell here in 
Darjeeling as in all parts of the world. 

Our stay in Darjeeling is at an end, but we may 
carry with us most charming memories of our trip. 
Like children at a feast we left the best thing for the 
last, so that we may longer enjoy and remember the 
choicest bits. And with a last fond look at the snowy 
"roof of the world" we bid Darjeeling a sad fare- 
well. 



